The other day, I was with a mega mall - browsing a queue to purchase my groceries. Suddenly, there was a lot of commotion and a population group were wanting to prevent 2 of the mall staff from going at the other with knives slow. Their anger was palpable and I could sense a fear that they might even kill each other, if not stopped. The situation was growing tense, whenever a rather senior-looking silver-haired Manager appeared to the picture. He gave a whack to both of them, ordered these to return to work and asked the crowd to disperse - everything in one swift motion. It was as if he had cast a spell - both the staff slunk away, eyes downcast, respectful towards the man as well as the tension just powered down..We are now living in a global that is on the road. Information overdrive, intense competition and technological advances are getting newer challenges to this particular great art of conflict resolution. Our threshold to tolerate has vastly diminished. We keep listening to road rage, unprovoked violence in public life, harsh and violent body gestures in situations where it is not required at all. There is a great deal of seething rage, anger, resentment and turmoil in a multitude of men and women, which when left unresolved, often manifests itself differently. It is like a box of ammunition which has a short fuse as well as only a small spark to ignite. Consequences are often disastrous, whether it's the man who shot and killed several innocent people at a theater screening Batman or perhaps the fellow who continued a rampage at the Sikh Gurudwara within the United States. Alienation and loneliness along with despair and hopelessness could be a lethal cocktail of emotions.Recently there is a news item of a conflict between Management and Labour with a leading Automobile Manufacturing Plant in India. One of the General Managers was reported to have been killed - an incredibly serious offense, following that the plant had to be turn off temporarily. A very volatile situation with extremely low level of trust, emotional vulnerability, complete breakdown of transparency, lack of clear communication and insinuation. One can perfectly imagine what can happen with this sort of climate.I was reflecting that about a decade ago, every company used to possess Labour Welfare Officers and Personnel Managers have been well-trained in Industrial Relations, studied the labour laws in great detail, cut their teeth into Human Resources Development which has a long stint within the production shop floor, developed keen insight and understanding, which in turn triggered compassion and a flexible and tolerant look at life, which helped Management and Labour come to the discussion table. Suffice to say there was plenty of things that have been mostly resolved through informal consultations and quite chats about the sidelines, no issue ever blowing up, unless it turned out something grave.These Labour Welfare Officers and Personnel Managers have become extinct, replaced by state-of-the-art experts who have a very top-class B School Management Degree in Human Resources Development. They are extremely sound in tactics, strategies, presentations, negotiations, presence of mind and manouvering. However a careful study reveals, as the devil is within the detail, that they can have scanty experience of handling labour or conflict management and resolution in a very decidedly win-win approach. A flash strike, a tool-down strike, lock-out or an angry group of agitated personnel are all nightmares for them, since they are not equipped emotionally along with their communication skills are awfully poor, exposing them within the rough and tumble of individuals management.While perform concede that times have changed, we have come very a long way away from those times and Managements tend to be more benevolent and transparent. look what i found is the order through the day and never an exception. Having said this, I continue to ponder whether it was smart to completely scrap faraway from those positions in manufacturing and service areas, that have its very own utility and relevance. Possibly the Labour Welfare Officers and Personnel Managers may stage a comeback, since the simple truth is it doesn't matter the amount technology advances, processes improve, conditions congenial, individuals have emotions, fears, anxieties, hopes and expectations; machines and technology cannot understand it, while humans can. We need more humane people when controling Human Resources, as after all those are the greatest resources a business has.
